New details about the memorandum of understanding taking shape between the United States and Iran were revealed on Sunday morning in US, Israeli, and Arab media reports.
According to reports, Tehran agreed to a memorandum of understanding aimed at halting fighting “on all fronts,” including in Lebanon, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz without fees.
In exchange, the US will release $25 billion in frozen Iranian funds, lift the naval blockade on Iranian ports, and withdraw its forces from areas near Iran. Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program — a major sticking point — would be postponed to a second phase lasting between 30 and 60 days.
Israel’s Channel 12 quoted a US official as acknowledging that the release of frozen funds would be a boon to Iran’s economy but would provide relief to the global oil market.
According to the report, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held a tense phone call with President Donald Trump on Motzei Shabbos, during which he expressed concerns over several aspects of the emerging agreement, including the clause on Lebanon and the delay of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. However, he ultimately “agreed” to the deal.
The US official said the clause ending the war in Lebanon will not amount to a “unilateral ceasefire,” and Israel would retain the right to act immediately if Hezbollah attempts to rearm or launch attacks.
“If Hezbollah behaves, Israel will behave,” the official said, adding that “Bibi has his domestic considerations, but Trump has the interests of the U.S. and the global economy to think about.”
Yisrael Hayom reported that a meeting of Israel’s inner security cabinet on Motzei Shabbos focused mainly on the Lebanon issue rather than Iran. The report quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that Israeli officials understand that “Iran is Trump’s” and are therefore channeling their efforts on the challenges posed by Hezbollah.
The developments come amid intensive negotiations between Washington and Tehran, with senior Israeli security sources saying that Israel has been excluded from the talks and has had to rely on indirect diplomatic contacts and intelligence channels to gather information.
Netanyahu scheduled a security cabinet meeting on Sunday evening to discuss the latest developments regarding the deal.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
